Legal Counsel & Sr. Director of Compliance

Per Scholas • Full-time • United States • $130,000 - $140,000 / year • 19h ago

Fast Facts

The Senior Director, Legal Counsel will oversee legal and compliance matters, manage licensing functions, and lead a small team. This role requires a versatile legal professional with significant in-house experience and a strong background in nonprofit and education sectors.

Responsibilities: Manage a variety of legal matters including contracts, employment law, regulatory compliance, and lead educational licensing functions while supervising Compliance Associates.

Skills: Candidates should possess excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills, proficiency in Lexis, Salesforce, Google Workspace, and MS Office Suite, as well as a collaborative mindset.

Qualifications: A Juris Doctor (JD) degree, active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, and a minimum of 5 years of legal experience with at least 2 years in a managerial role supporting in-house legal functions.

Location: This position is located in the United States and is classified as hybrid.

Compensation: $130000 - $140000 / Annually

POSITION TITLE: Senior Director, Legal Counsel

REPORTS TO: SVP, Legal & Compliance

MANAGES: Licensing Compliance Associates

Position Overview

The Senior Counsel, Legal & Compliance will support the SVP, Legal & Compliance in managing a wide range of legal matters across the organization, including contracting, real estate, employment law, learner-related issues and regulatory compliance. This role will also lead the organization’s educational licensing and compliance function and manage a small team of two Compliance Associates. The ideal candidate will be an agile legal counsel with the ability to rapidly master and operate across a wide range of complex legal domains and bring strong legal experience, particularly in nonprofit, education, or government regulated settings, along with demonstrated experience in compliance, licensing, and team supervision.

This is an excellent opportunity for an attorney who is eager to work across a broad and dynamic spectrum of legal disciplines and who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. The ideal candidate will be intellectually agile, business and strategy minded, and able to quickly master complex and evolving legal domains. This role requires a highly collaborative professional with strong judgment, exceptional interpersonal skills, and a proactive, team-oriented approach.

Key Responsibilities

Legal:

Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of contracts, including commercial agreements, service contracts, MOUs, data sharing agreements, commercial leases and government contracts
Provide legal guidance on employment-related issues across a multi-state workforce, including policies, accommodations, and employee relations
Provide legal guidance on learner-related policy and legal matters
Work in close collaboration with teams across the organization on multidisciplinary and cross-departmental projects and initiatives
Conduct comprehensive research and analysis on diverse substantive and procedural issues across a diverse range of legal domains
Contribute to the development and review of internal policy documents and procedures
Assist in litigation management and coordination with external counsel as needed

Regulatory Licensing & Compliance:

Oversee all state licensure, exemption, and regulatory filings for educational programs across 30+ jurisdictions:
Lead the development and submission of detailed licensing and exemption applications, working cross-functionally to gather necessary documentation
Oversee licensing and compliance records; ensure timely renewals and updates with regulatory bodies
Manage ETPL (Eligible Training Provider List) applications and updates in coordination with campuses
Conduct audits of campus operations; prepare summary reports and partner with staff to implement corrective actions
Monitor and respond to changes in state regulatory requirements affecting operations
Provide direct support to campus leaders on compliance expectations, timelines, and documentation
Conduct legal research, and provide counsel on regulatory and operational issues affecting the organization
Maintain and update regulatory tracking databases and tools to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with applicable requirements.
Advise on strategic initiatives affecting licensure and campus operations
Develop and maintain compliance tools, templates, and internal guidance materials

Team Leadership & Cross-functional Collaboration:

Supervise and support a small team of Compliance Associates, providing strategy, direction, feedback, and professional development
Coordinate workload and priorities to ensure timely and accurate completion of compliance tasks
Collaborate with internal teams (Program, Operations, Curriculum, Finance) to integrate compliance into core processes
Lead or support other legal or compliance-related projects assigned by the SVP

Qualifications

Education & Licensure

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
Active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, in good standing

Professional Experience

Minimum of 5 years of legal experience post admission, with at least 2 years supporting in-house legal functions or advising nonprofit or education-sector clients in a multi-jurisdictional setting.
At least 2 years of experience managing junior staff, including providing direction, feedback, and professional development.
Experience leading complex, cross-functional projects with multiple internal stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience in at least several of the following areas:
Regulatory compliance and licensing
Contract drafting and negotiation including commercial leases
Government contracts and procurement
Employment law (multi-state preferred)
Data privacy laws
Corporate governance in nonprofit organizations
Charitable Solicitation

Required Skills & Attributes

Proficiency in Lexis legal research tools
Proficiency in Salesforce (data entry, data inquiries, basic reporting).
Excellent working knowledge of Google Workspace, Adobe, and the MS Office Suite.
Strong legal writing, analysis, and communication skills
Strong legal research and contractual/statutory interpretation abilities
Proven ability to manage compliance operations and multi-jurisdictional regulatory filings
Highly organized, business minded, detail-oriented, and capable of managing competing priorities under strict deadlines
Collaborative mindset with the ability to work across legal and non-legal teams
Strong alignment with Per Scholas’s mission

For this role specifically, the salary range is between $130,000 and $140,000.

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